Without You
by abbdoyle12
Summary: Team 7 without Sasuke. If I get good reviews, I might add more chapters even though I was thinking only the first one, which is my favorite. I hope you like it!
1. The Sleepless Nights

**Team 7 without Sasuke.**

**This made me really sad…**

'_It wasn't meaningless. You became my best friend. That's why killing you will be so worth it.'_

- - -

'_They all risked their lives for you! Choji, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, bushy brows!'_

'…_Good for them.'_

- - -

'_You're telling me it all meant absolutely nothing to you!'_

- - -

'_You have to come home, Sasuke! Konoha is your home!'_

'_I'm done playing ninja with you fools. I'm going to Orochimaru!'_

- - - 

_I… I always knew you were alone, Sasuke. I wanted so badly to be your friend! But you didn't let anyone in… I was so ready to be your friend! You were everything I aspired to be…_

_It wasn't meaningless. Our friendship was undeniable. And now I'm going to kill you for it._

- - -

'_CHIDORI!' 'RASENGAN!'_

- - - 

_His headband fell to the ground next to Naruto. ! Damn! My arm! He fell to his knees, spitting up blood. His eyes opened… and he was staring right at Naruto's face._

…_He couldn't do it._

- - - 

Naruto sat straight up in bed, drenched in sweat and gasping like he had been holding his breath for hours. His sheets were wet with sweat, but he was shivering like crazy.

He put his head between his knees, tightly gripping his hair, eyes squeezed shut. His throat was tight…

He let out a quick, dry sob, and groped for the headband on his bedside table. Eyes still shut, he ran his finger over the scratch for the millionth time. He breathed heavily and willed himself not to cry.

In her own home, Sakura was sitting on her bedroom floor, huddled in a corner. She replayed that night in her head, tears flowing down her cheeks.

'_Why is it always silence with you? Why won't you ever tell me anything?'_

'_Why should I tell you anything?'_

- - - 

'_I love you so much, Sasuke, I can't stand it! Please… if you would only here with me… you won't regret it!'_

- - - 

'_DON'T LEAVE ME! If you go, I'll scream, and --!'_

'_Thank you. For everything.'_

_A sharp hit to the back of her neck… she whispered his name before she collapsed. He caught her before she hit the ground, and placed her gently on a nearby bench and took one long, last look at her face._

She held the picture between her hands, the steady _drip, drip_ of her tears hitting the glass. She still awoke sometimes, thinking Team 7 would have a new mission that morning, or wondering how to get Sasuke to notice how much effort she put into how she looked that day.

Then she remembered.

Sometimes, when Lady Tsunade let her out early, she would walk the streets absently and always found herself at the spot where she and Sasuke had almost shared their first kiss… and said their goodbyes. She would stumble over to the bench where she had awoken, frantic, and sit down on it, tears pouring down her face.

She would become half aware of Naruto sitting down next to her, always with that scratched headband in his hand. She could never touch that headband, but when Naruto lay his hand on hers and tried not to cry, it was comforting to know she wasn't alone.

Kakashi Sensei would sometimes join them, walking toward them silently and with his nose buried in Icha Icha Paradise. He would sit down next to Naruto, and with his free hand, he patted them each on the head once. It seemed sort of dog-like, but it was sweet all the same. Sometimes, he would rest his hand on their heads, and Naruto closed his eyes and Sakura would let out a tiny sob.

He would leave after that, but he would say, without taking his eyes off of Icha Icha, he'd say, "Train hard. We're going to take him back home one day."

Naruto eventually fell back asleep, one hand holding Sasuke's headband and the other holding his Team 7 picture. 

Sakura climbed back into her bed, wiped her eyes, and fell asleep clutching her Team 7 picture.

Somewhere far away, Sasuke was the only member of Team 7 who still lay awake.


	2. The Pain

Sasuke

**Sasuke.**

Hmph. Turned out he was actually a lot stronger than he thought. Sure, he had acted like Mr. Confidence when Kabuto met him at the door, but…

_I will not let myself lose it. __I will not.__ I'm going to forget all about what happened, all of it. He never mattered and neither did she. I will get stronger and memories aren't going to get in the way. Memories… oh, shit…_

_Memories flashed: the entrance ceremony; being inducted into Team 7; meeting Sensei; trying to get the bells and giving Naruto his lunch; fighting Haku; Sakura crying over him; the Chunin exams; Gaara; chasing after Naruto because he knew what Itachi was after; that mission in the Land of Tea; fighting Naruto on the rooftop… God, he had been angry…; saying goodbye to Sakura; and then the fight…_

No! He wasn't going to think about them anymore! He was _done_ with them! Only one thing mattered to him now.

_I just… I just hope he understands… I __have__ to do this. I tried to forget revenge… but I can't forget. He has to understand! He would do the same thing._

_Oh come on, _a voice in his head hissed. _You know damn well Naruto wouldn't do that to his comrades. To his best friend._

_Well, what about her? She doesn't do much, but she was strong and spirited. I know she doesn't have near enough hate, but… she'll understand. She has to, if the things she told me were true…_

_Then she should hate you all the more._

Well, the first night was rough. Kabuto ran some painful tests, examined his Chakra, and gave him some food pills. It wasn't the greatest night.

And he kept thinking about how Naruto was dealing with all this… knowing Naruto, probably not well. And Sakura, who was practically hysterical the night he left. When she found out he wasn't coming back…

But he kept training and training. It was a lot easier than he though it would be, but he figured the food pills and all the extra strength he now had helped.

And really. If he made his friends go through all that, had put _himself_ through all that… he was definitely going to get the benefit out of this. There was no way he was going to let himself fail. No freaking way.

Kabuto was terrified of him, mainly because he always mastered jutsus quickly and walked around like he owned the place. He back talked to Orochimaru, which disgusted Kabuto but frightened him at the same time; it amused and impressed Orochimaru. But really…

Every day was a horrible struggle. Jutsus were a cinch, but his emotions were fighting to get out. Every night he saw Naruto and Sakura as his bedroom ceiling. Sakura's green eyes were the stars and Naruto's laugh was always pounding in his ears. But every time he activated his Sharingan, it reminded him of what he was here for.

Yet sometimes… sometimes he would wake up, and just lay in bed, eyes closed, imagining what Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi were doing without him, and…

He could hardly bear it…


	3. The Determination

Sakura

**Sakura.**

Another day with Lady Tsunade. God, this lady was going to kill her, the way she was training her! She wanted to up and quit, but she made herself keep going.

_I am not going to be the same pathetic thing I was. When he comes back, I'll be strong, stronger than anyone could imagine! If I'm strong, I won't let him leave again. I'll stop him next time. He's not leaving me twice._

A blast of determination surged through her, and she focused so hard on her Chakra she began to sweat. She focused on her hand's Chakra more and more until… yes! The rabbit was breathing easier! A few more seconds… his foot twitched! His nose quivered! The rabbit was standing up! She did it!

She let out a little "Ha!" of triumph and happiness, and Lady Tsunade looked up from all the papers that cluttered her desk. Sakura blushed and gathered the rabbit in her arms for her sensei to see.

Lady Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief and she praised, "Excellent, Sakura! You sure healed that rabbit fast! Excellent! You're getting better every day!"

Sakura blushed again and bowed to Sensei, thanking her. She carried the rabbit back outside and set him on the grass. As she watched him hop away, Lady Tsunade joined her at the door. They stood in silence for a moment. Finally, Sensei said to her, "I think you've done enough for today, you worked very hard. You're dismissed, Sakura."

Sakura bowed again and left, high tailing for home. Boy, she was tired!

As she walked home, she thought about Sasuke. It occurred to her, not for the first time, that Sasuke was a rogue ninja and would not be welcomed back. He had crossed the border without permission from Lady Tsunade, and the Hokage had been furious. Sakura knew that if, no, _when_ Sasuke came back, Lady Hokage would not let him back in the village with open arms. And even if Sasuke seemed truly sincere, Lady Tsunade would think him acting. His brother had certainly fooled them all.

Even though Sakura seemed happy, she was dying on the inside. Her tears threatened to break through the dam she had been building at any second, she saw Sasuke in every person who passed by. That night was like a broken record, it kept playing over and over again in her head.

Kept reminding her about how she couldn't stop the one she loved from leaving her.

Kept reminding her that no matter how hard she tried, she failed. Was a burden.

_Was useless._

She gritted her teeth and broke into a run.

That night, Sakura hid in her cherry tree, ten stones clutched in her fist. Taking careful aim, she stoned ten birds – not hard enough to kill them – hard enough to make one of their wings in need of healing.

Sakura gathered the ten birds and took them into her bedroom, where she had set up a table with scrolls, ointment, and bandages. One by one, she laid the birds on a scroll.

That night, Sakura stayed up until three in the morning, healing the birds. Her quickest healing time was seven minutes and forty-seven seconds. These were minor injuries she was healing compared to a stabbed liver or a broken arm, but she was very proud nonetheless. It took her two hours to completely heal all ten birds, but she didn't stop. She went back into the tree and hit fifteen more birds.

She healed them all.

When she finally went to bed, she was exhausted and her hands were aching. But she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Sakura had gotten stronger. She could now be relied on. She could heal injuries, and the other day, Lady Tsunade instructed her to gather all her Chakra into her fist and punch the ground, releasing the Chakra in her hand as she hit the ground.

Sakura had created a rather large crater.

No, she wasn't going to be useless when Sasuke came home. She would impress him and show off her new skills. Sakura Haruno was going to prove to him, Hey, I'm worth staying for now. I'm now a reason for staying. You're not leaving me again, Sasuke Uchiha. There is no way in _hell_ you're leaving me again.


	4. The Mountainside

**Naruto and Sakura**

Naruto sighed and sank back lower, his butt drooping over the lowest bar of the railing. He gazed up at the Hokage mountainside, his gaze longing.

_Wish I was that strong,_ he thought glumly, his mind traveling hazily to the Valley of the End. It was a hot summer's day, too hot for his brain to register pain and regret fully. But the nagging was still there, chomping happily on his brain. He sighed again, his fingers losing grip on the railing, and he slid back till he plopped onto the hard concrete of the balcony.

"Clumsy as ever, eh, Naruto?" a lazy voice behind him drawled, and Naruto turned his head, frowning.

"Hey, Shikamaru," Naruto called, turning back to the mountainside, still frowning.

Shikamaru leaned against the railing Naruto had recently been sitting on, the picture of ease. "Nice day, huh?" he commented, but in a tone that told Naruto it was a rhetorical question.

"This is sort of your spot, isn't it, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, still sprawled on the ground. Shikamaru nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Sure is peaceful," Naruto said, his eyes on the fissure that ran through the Third's stone face.

"I come up here when I need to get away. What are you getting away from?" Shikamaru asked, still gazing up at the sky. Naruto appreciated how insightful Shikamaru really was and covered his face with his hands, feeling defeated.

"Well, it's just . . . things sort of began to unravel when the old man died, don't you think? I mean, his death was a huge blow to the village, and it left us all weak. A perfect opening for an attack. So that Itachi guy and the fish dude showed up, and that sort of set off Sasuke. And now . . . things are just so different. It all started began with the old man's death . . . it all began with that snake Orochimaru." Naruto sighed for the third time, and peeked out through a crack in his fingers to stare once again at the Third Hokage.

Shikamaru was silent for a while. Naruto switched his gaze to look at him, and Shikamaru was now pursing his lips, gazing at the mountainside.

"Yeah, that does sort of sum up how it feels," he finally said, turning his head to give Naruto a small, sad smile. "But you can't dwell on the past, 'cause it only fogs up the present. But you gotta remember that nothing happened in vain. We were all pushed down a little bit by the devastation of the Hokage's death, but we need to remember how proudly he spoke of our village and remember that it was precious enough to the guy for him to die for it. That strengthened all of our wills and determination. And . . . Sasuke leaving . . . it does suck, but think of how much stronger and wiser it made you. You learned from the experience, and it's driving you to train harder than ever before; same goes for Sakura. Everything sucks a little bit, but if you focus hard enough, you might be able to find the good, no matter how small it is. The more you focus on it, the bigger and bigger the inspiration it gives gets. You just have to try to be positive," Shikamaru said, scratching his chin absent-mindedly.

Naruto could only gape at him. Good grief! Did Shikamaru say this kind of stuff on a daily basis?! He was like a mini philosopher! After several awe-struck minutes, Naruto finally said, "You should write a book."

Shikamaru laughed and gazed up at the clouds. "Way too time consuming. I'd rather sleep or something." Shikamaru turned to look at Naruto, who was still on the ground. "Just so you know, you look like a total idiot."

While Naruto scowled, a familiar voice called, "What, even more than usual?"

Without even looking up, Naruto moaned, "Sakuraaaa!" and ambled clumsily to his feet, a huge pout on his face. Shikamaru laughed at his facial expression and patted Naruto on the shoulder.

"Tough break, kid," Shikamaru chortled, nodding at Sakura, who walked over to the railing and poked Naruto playfully.

"Just joking, doofus. But let's try to stay on our feet, shall we?" Sakura asked, smiling as Naruto climbed onto the railing, sitting on the top bar with his feet dangling over the edge. "What are you guys doing up here, anyway? Imagining your face on that mountain, Naruto?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her and said indignantly, "You won't be acting so high and mighty when my face really is engraved up there, and when I'm known as the greatest Hokage ever to grace this village!" His roiled-up spirit diminished slightly and he added, "but we were really up here talking about how things started going downhill and uphill at the same time since the old man died."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she swallowed. She leaned against the railing, also staring up at the mountainside. "Yeah, I've thought that too," she said quietly, her green eyes sober. "And yeah, I've also thought of the positive stuff, like how much stronger it has made the hearts of our village. It's not really fair, is it?" she suddenly asked, her eyebrows pulled down. "Everything was going fine, we were all getting along, and then one thing sets off an avalanche of disaster. Like a game of dominoes. Once the first falls, the rest follow suit."

This saddened both Naruto and Sakura, but Shikamaru piped up, saying, "Well, yeah. But you know how sometimes in a game of dominoes, if you set one too far apart from the one in front of it, it doesn't get hit and doesn't fall over, and neither do the ones behind it. Kind of reminds me of our village. When stamina is defeated, our hearts stand apart from physical skill and remain strong, and that's stronger than any stamina."

Again, all Naruto could do was gape, along with Sakura.

"Geez, Shikamaru, I'm dead serious about the whole book thing, now. You'd change so many people's lives," Naruto said, looking at Sakura for encouragement, and she nodded, her eyes wide. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and tried not to smile.

_See? _Naruto felt like asking out loud to the leaves dancing in the wind. _We're all okay. You can try to take us down, but we're all okay. You think you can bring us to our knees, but we're all bound to an iron pillar that won't fall no matter what._

A raven soared past, and Naruto saw Sakura's eyes rest on it, just as his did. Naruto mentally shook his head and looked from the raven, now flying away, to the faces of the brave leaders that had once lead the village through times of trouble at the cost of their own lives. Naruto thought of their example, and how the village looked up to their former leaders with courage and faith.

With a flip in his stomach, Naruto saw that Sakura was also looking at the mountainside, the raven no longer in sight.

_We're okay._


End file.
